[mikeyhitchfan]

I won of of these at auction. Cabinet is not cracked, but has some scratches on top that Novus #2 does not take out. I heard about using 600 then 1500 grit wet sandpaper and carefully removing a bit of the plastic to get past the scratches. Anyone done this before or heard of other techniques?

[Arran]

Is it Bakelite or is it a polystyrene cabinet? If it's Bakelite you can wet sand the scratches out to some degree, but sometimes you can sand through a top layer into a rough and pulpy core. The the case of polystyrene the plastic and it's colour is consistent all the way through, no matter how much is sanded off. That being said you don't want to take too much meat out of the cabinet if the scratches are really deep. You can start out with 400 or 600 grit, (Bakelite is harder then polystyrene) then to 800, 1000, 1200, and move up in the grits until you hit 1500 or 2000 grit, then you are into polishes.
Regards
Arran

[TA Forbes]

Yes, be careful when attempting to polish bakelite.

[mikeyhitchfan]

I wouldn't sand bakelite. It's a plastic cabinet on this wedge radio. My Ace hardware only had 600 and 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper, so I got a sheet of each to try. I just don't want to do more damage since the scratches are not very deep.

[Eliot Ness]

...I just don't want to do more damage since the scratches are not very deep.

When in doubt start off with the least aggressive paper or polish; it is a lot easier to move to a coarser grade (when needed) than to remove the scratches left by too coarse of paper.

In time you will be able to better judge what grade paper is needed, and try to use a sanding block for flat surfaces. Take some before and after pictures for us too.

[mikeyhitchfan]

OK, will do.

[Arran]

In some cases you do need to wet sand Bakelite, like if the set has a large flat top that has been scratched up, or the Bakelite has become rough and weathered. Fortunately it does not scratch anywhere near as easily as polystyrene.
Regards
Arran